HOMILY FOR MASS FOR FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT + SMITHFIELD PARISH VISITATION
ST THERESE’S CHURCH, FAIRFIELD WEST, 28 MARCH 2025
Last week it was announced that the legendary Kenyan runner, Eliud Kipchoge, will compete in the Sydney Marathon this year. Kipchoge is a two-time Olympic gold medallist (2016 & 2021) and the only runner to have completed a marathon in under two hours, making him arguably the greatest runner of all time. At a fitness expo a few years ago, a 20-metre treadmill was set up to simulate the average speed at which Kipchoge runs. Seasoned runners were only able to keep pace for about two minutes, leaving them scratching their heads as to how anyone could run at such a speed for two hours!
Sports scientists have determined that Kipchoge’s oxygen uptake levels are in the elite range, that he tolerates the build-up of lactic acid, and that he requires less energy than most to propel his body forward for long periods. But it’s not just biology. From an early age, he has demonstrated relentless discipline, training himself as a marathon machine. His family put his drive down to his devout Catholic faith. After each run, he kneels down away from the spotlight, touches the ground with his forehead, makes the sign of the cross, and thanks God for His help. Meanwhile his mother and wife fast and pray and offer Mass for him. His cousin, Father Kennedy Kipchumba, says Eliud’s achievements are proof that God fulfills His promises.
Running a marathon and living the Christian life have their parallels. Both require ‘inspiration’ and ‘perspiration’, ideals and practice, if people are to persevere through hardships and succeed. Some marathons or parts of marathons are run on the flat and so easier, whilst others are on more challenging terrain. Life is like that, including our relationship with God. We experience moments when we feel His closeness, consolation, energy, and find loving God and neighbour (Mk 12:28-34) comes ‘naturally’. Yet at other times Christian life can feel like an uphill race and putting one foot in front of the other is hard.
In today’s first reading, Hosea bookends his evocative proclamation of God’s deliverance with a sober reminder that the great obstacle in our spiritual marathon is sin. “Your iniquity caused your downfall”, tripped you up, the prophet declares; the Lord’s race courses are “straight” and the virtuous run them easily “but sinners stumble” (Hos 14:2-10). Sin means abandoning the path God has set before us, going off-track, even losing all sense of direction. The antidote Hosea proposes is to stay on track or return when we’ve veered away, listening to God’s Word in Scripture and the Church, and then following a well-formed conscience.
Hosea offers us some other analogies for sin. Iniquity, he says, is a betrayal, like adultery, apostasy, idolatry. It’s not a random loss of direction, as if your internal GPS had gone haywire; no, it’s putting something or someone else in place of the God’ we should “love with all our heart and soul, mind and body”. Sin builds up the lactic acid in our spiritual muscles, the toxins in our spiritual blood, harming our judgment, relationships, actions. Sin means our uptake of the oxygen of grace declines and we have less energy to propel ourselves forward. The antidote is conversion, repentance, return—coming back home to God’s mercy and love, returning to the gym of the Church.
Lent reminds us that the obstacles of sin and temptation are not insurmountable. We can return to God, get back on track. Lent tells us that God wants nothing more than for us to pick ourselves up and run towards Him. He gives us prayer and worship—what Hosea calls “words and praise”—as our coaches. He gives us Confession as our spiritual Dencorub, so we “find words of return to the Lord, asking Him to take away our iniquity”. He puts us in poll position in the lanes of ‘loyalty’, ‘flourishing’, ‘wisdom’ and ‘virtue’.
My friends, the very purpose of Smithfield parish is to keep us on track or draw us back on track. In the words of the prophets, “Come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping and mourning” (Joel 2:12) and I will have you back, “I will heal your apostasy and love you with all my heart” (Hos 14:4).
INTRODUCTION TO MASS FOR FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT +
SMITHFIELD PARISH VISITATION
ST THERESE’S CHURCH, FAIRFIELD WEST, 28 MARCH 2025
Welcome to this celebration of the Eucharist as I continue my canonical visitation of the Parish of St Gertrude Smithfield. I’ve enjoyed a lovely welcome so far at this parish, and I’m looking forward to meeting with leaders, staff, students and parents of our schools later today. I thank the parish priest, Fr Peter Strohmayer OSPPE, the assistant clergy, staff and parishioners for their preparations and welcome.
To everyone present this morning, a very warm welcome!
